Master Paul of Levoca, Slovakia
Late Gothic Sculptor and Carver (1465/1470-1480 - 1537/1542)
Aug 18, 2009
Archives are silent about the origins and early life of this legendary master carver and sculptor, who has become a revered figure of Slovakian artistic tradition and author of the tallest wooden carved altar in the world situated in the Cathedral of Saint James in Levoca, Slovakia.
Biography
There is no preserved written documentation of Master Paul's beginnings as all the evidence burnt with the town archives 10 years after his death. Scholars believe that he began his training in Cracow, present-day Poland and apprenticed in workshops of sculptors and woodcarvers throughout the Southern Germany encountering artists influential on his style: Veit Stoss, Tillmann Riemenschneider.
He is recorded in Levoca, Eastern Slovakia from 1500 where he had come as an accomplished sculptor and had settled there. At Levoca, he joined the prestigious local Master Vavrinec's workshop, of which he later became a master himself. The workshop functioned under Master Paul in 1503 - 1525.
Master Paul acquired a very prestigious position in the town, receiving commissions from the civic institutions as well as the town's leading families. His reputation eventually helped him gain an important civic position for himself. He became a member of the board of the Brotherhood of Corpus Christi and records show that in 1527 he was already a member of the city's magistrate or alderman at the town hall.
Master Paul's origins remain unknown but the family history was stained. He married a much younger woman and had three daughters and a son. The name of his wife is not known either but the fate of his son Lucas was recorded. He is believed to have been an accomplice in a meaningless murder, went into hiding and was disowned by his family.
Saint James's Cathedral in LevocaMaster Paul executed a series of altars and several sculptures for the cathedral.The cathedral is unique as it contains as many as twelve Gothic altarpieces of local origin, with almost all of them in their original location within the cathedral. This combination is very rare for many altarpieces are removed from their original location and transported into a gallery where they form a collection. If not removed entirely, altarpieces might be moved within the location. It is all the more remarkable that the these works of art have remained in place and survived the fires of 1538 and 1550 that plagued the town.
Another surprising fact is that the use of ordinary lime wood, the material has also remained intact and healthy for 500 years without any major restoration.
The World's Tallest Altar
The main altar of St. James the Apostle (1508 - 1510, then fully completed - painted and gilded in 1517) to whom the altar is dedicated is remarkable for its scale. It is the world's tallest Gothic altarpiece reaching the height of 18,62 m and thus spanning almost the entire height of the apse while its width is 6,27m.
Despite the size of the altarpiece, the monument is made to fit very well into the relatively small apse so that it coexists in unity with the architecture. This unity is also continued within the body of the altarpiece structured according to an accurate geometric relationship between the individual elements.
The polyptych format was a typical format of the Late Gothic - Early Renaissance altarpieces. The paintings depicting the Passion of Christ were executed after the design by Lucas Cranach. The sculptures represent Madonna with Child Christ (2,47m), Last Supper, St James (2,32m) and St. John(2,3m).
The development of the wooden sculpture in Slovakia reached its peak in Master Paul's work at the St. James's Cathedral in Levoca listed on the National Cultural Heritage register of Slovakia.
Sources:
- CHALUPECKÝ, I.: Chrám sv. Jakuba v Levoci (St James' Cathedral in Levoca), Martin 1991
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